St Helen's House
A Grade I listed Georgian building in Derby that has served as a private residence, school, educational centre and office property.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
St Helen's House is a Grade I listed Georgian building on King Street in Derby, England. Built between 1766 and 1767 in the Palladian style by architect Joseph Pickford, the house was commissioned for John Gisborne of Yoxall Lodge in Staffordshire. It originally occupied approximately 80 acres of parkland and is regarded as an unusually substantial surviving Georgian gentleman's town house outside London. The property became associated with the Strutt family after William Strutt, eldest son of the industrialist Jedediah Strutt, acquired it in 1801. William Strutt extended and altered the house, and the building later passed to his son Edward Strutt, a Derby MP and alderman who was created the first Baron Belper in 1846. Edward's son Henry Strutt, the second Baron Belper, was born at St Helen's House in 1840. The building's most important institutional phase began in the nineteenth century. In 1860 Edward Strutt offered it to the governors of Derby School. Because the school initially could not afford the purchase, Strutt made the property available without rent on a temporary basis, reflecting his support for education in Derby. Derby School moved into the house in January 1861 and bought it in 1863. The purchase price was £3,300, funded through public subscription and a mortgage raised by Derby Corporation. During the Second World War, Derby School was evacuated and the buildings were occupied by the Ordnance Survey, which used the site for work connected with producing maps for Allied forces. The school returned in September 1945 and remained until 1966, when it moved to a purpose-built complex at Moorway Lane in Littleover. St Helen's House subsequently accommodated the Joseph Wright School of Art and, from 1972, an adult education centre. The centre left the property in 2004 after deterioration of the external fabric, leaving the building vacant and in need of extensive repair. Derby City Council sold the house and the neighbouring Pearson Building in November 2006 on a 299-year lease to property developer Richard Blunt. A hotel-led redevelopment was initially proposed, involving conversion of the two historic buildings into a 50-room luxury hotel and construction of a crescent of apartments. Planning permission was granted in 2009, but the proposal was abandoned in 2011 in response to economic conditions. A revised scheme instead proposed office use. The main house was made wind- and weather-proof during 2008 and 2009, and its renovation was completed in 2013. The restored building was subsequently leased as offices, including accommodation taken by an accountancy firm. A blue plaque installed in 2013 by Derby Civic Society and Derby City Council commemorated the property's connections with William Strutt and the Reverend Thomas Gisborne. The wider site has continued to change. Several associated structures were demolished in 2019 to facilitate Kings Crescent Apartments. From 2020, the Pearson Building was being adapted so that its ground and first floors could accommodate commercial units and its upper floor could become apartments. Proposals also included conversion of the former headmaster's house, known to former pupils as the Armoury, into apartments. The chapel, gymnasium, craft and woodwork facilities, cloisters and former chemistry laboratory were among deteriorated ancillary structures removed as part of the wider residential development. St Helen's House itself remains an important heritage property, now used primarily as office space rather than as a school or private residence.
History
St Helen's House was constructed in 1766–1767 for John Gisborne of Yoxall Lodge, Staffordshire. Joseph Pickford designed the building in a Palladian manner, producing a large Georgian town house set within an estate of roughly 80 acres. Its scale and architectural quality have led heritage commentators to identify it as one of the rare surviving purpose-built Georgian gentleman's town houses of comparable size outside London. Later alterations and additions associated with William Strutt are documented in architectural assessments of the property. The house entered the history of Derby's industrial and civic elite when William Strutt purchased it in 1801. Strutt, the eldest son of cotton and hosiery pioneer Jedediah Strutt, altered and extended the property. After William's death, ownership passed to his son Edward Strutt, who served as a Derby MP and alderman and became the first Baron Belper in 1846. Edward's son Henry, later the second Baron Belper, was born at the house in 1840. In 1860 Edward Strutt offered the property to Derby School. The governors initially lacked the resources to purchase it, so Strutt allowed the school to use it without rent while arrangements were made. Derby School moved in during January 1861 and completed the purchase in 1863 for £3,300. The money came partly from a public subscription and partly from a mortgage raised by Derby Corporation. The school occupied the building for more than a century and made it a major part of Derby's educational heritage. The Second World War temporarily interrupted school use. Derby School was evacuated, first to Overton Hall at Ashover and later to Amber Valley Camp at Woolley Moor. From September 1939 until the school's return in September 1945, the St Helen's House buildings were occupied by the Ordnance Survey for mapping work supporting Allied forces. Derby School eventually left in 1966 for a new campus at Moorway Lane in Littleover. After the school moved, the building was used by the Joseph Wright School of Art and, from 1972, as an adult education centre. Declining building condition became increasingly serious, particularly in the external fabric. The adult education centre moved elsewhere in 2004, after which St Helen's House stood vacant and required substantial investment. In November 2006 Derby City Council granted a 299-year lease covering St Helen's House and the adjacent Pearson Building to developer Richard Blunt. The first redevelopment concept proposed a 50-room luxury hotel in the historic buildings, together with a crescent of new apartments on part of the surrounding site. Planning permission was granted in 2009. During 2008 and 2009, preliminary works made the building wind- and weather-proof and removed much of the redundant educational equipment. Economic conditions led to the cancellation of the hotel plan in 2011. A new planning application submitted in July of that year proposed office conversion instead. The building's neglected interior was documented in a 2012 short film about Derby School, which showed deteriorated rooms, peeling paint and surviving traces of its former school use. Repairs and renovation of the main house were completed in 2013, after which office tenants occupied the building. A blue plaque installed that year commemorated William Strutt and the Reverend Thomas Gisborne. The surrounding site has since undergone further redevelopment. The former connecting structure between St Helen's House and the Pearson Building, which had housed the school bell and served most pupils' entrance, was replaced by a decorative wall. In 2019 several associated buildings were demolished for Kings Crescent Apartments. From 2020 the Pearson Building was being converted into commercial space on the ground and first floors and apartments on the upper floor. Plans also contemplated residential conversion of the former headmaster's house, while badly deteriorated school-era structures, including the chapel, gymnasium, cloisters, woodwork rooms and former chemistry laboratory, were removed to support the wider residential scheme. The principal house remains a protected historic building adapted for office use.
- 2020
Pearson Building conversion starts
[1]Work begins to create commercial units and apartments in the neighbouring Pearson Building.
- 2019
Kings Crescent development site cleared
[1]Several associated structures are demolished to make way for Kings Crescent Apartments.
- 2013
Main-house renovation completed
[1]The principal building is restored for office use and receives a heritage blue plaque.
- 2009
Hotel planning permission granted
[1]Permission is granted for a proposed hotel conversion and adjoining apartment development.
- 2004
Building becomes vacant
[1]The adult education centre leaves because of deterioration in the building's external fabric.
- 1972
Adult education use begins
[1]The property begins serving as an adult education centre after its use by the Joseph Wright School of Art.
- 1966
Derby School relocates
[1]The school moves to a new purpose-built site at Moorway Lane in Littleover.
- 1945
School returns
[1]Derby School returns to St Helen's House in September after its wartime evacuation.
- 1939
Wartime evacuation
[1]Derby School leaves the building during the Second World War, while the Ordnance Survey uses the premises for military mapping work.
- 1863
Derby School completes its purchase
[1]The school purchases the property for £3,300, supported by public subscription and Derby Corporation borrowing.
Products and positioning
A heritage office property and protected Georgian landmark whose identity is rooted in architectural significance, Derby history and adaptive reuse.
Brand decisions
2020
Pearson Building shifts toward mixed-use redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The neighbouring Pearson Building and several ancillary structures required adaptation or replacement as part of the wider regeneration of the historic site.
Action taken
Conversion work began for commercial units on the lower floors and apartments on the upper floor, with additional residential plans for the former headmaster's house.
Aftermath
The wider site moved toward a mixed commercial and residential configuration, including the Kings Crescent Apartments development.
2011
Redevelopment strategy changes from hotel to officesStrategyBackground
The original plan to create a luxury hotel in St Helen's House and the Pearson Building, with adjoining apartments, became impractical in the economic conditions of 2011.
Action taken
The developer submitted a revised planning application proposing office conversion for the two historic buildings.
Aftermath
The main house was renovated and completed for office occupation in 2013, while later work focused on mixed commercial and residential use in the Pearson Building and wider site.
Recent events
- 2020
Pearson Building conversion begins[1]
Other
Work began to adapt the Pearson Building for commercial units on its lower floors and apartments above, alongside proposals affecting other surviving ancillary structures.
- 2019
Ancillary buildings are demolished for Kings Crescent Apartments[1]
Other
Several associated buildings were removed to make space for the Kings Crescent Apartments development, changing the historic site's wider setting.
- 2013
Renovated St Helen's House returns to commercial use[1]
Other
Repair and renovation of the main house was completed, enabling office occupation. A blue plaque was also installed to recognize the property's historic links with William Strutt and the Reverend Thomas Gisborne.
- 2011
Hotel redevelopment plan is replaced by office proposal[1]
Other
A plan to create a luxury hotel and adjoining apartments was abandoned in the prevailing economic climate. A revised application proposed converting St Helen's House and the Pearson Building into offices.
- 2006
Derby City Council leases St Helen's House for redevelopment[1]
Other
The council transferred St Helen's House and the neighbouring Pearson Building on a 299-year lease to property developer Richard Blunt after repair requirements were assessed as too costly for the council to fund directly.
Sources1 sources
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